DPS Invoicing: Hope the for Best, Prepare for the Worst

As the Sept. 10th launch date grows nearer, we are receiving many questions related to the readiness of the DPS invoicing module. While we wish we could say that we are completely confident that invoicing will be ready by the launch date, unfortunately that is not the case. We are increasingly concerned that the invoicing rating engine will face considerable issues if DPS is launched on September 10th.

Our last update on invoicing testing was fairly positive. However, since that time, the progress of the invoice test team has been slowed by a number of factors. The additional testing occurring (Services OT, TSP OT, stress testing, etc.) has prevented us from using the DPS test system for weeks at a time, and we have lost a lot of time we desperately needed. Also, the updates to DPS have been less and less frequent as the launch nears. Therefore, when we discover a problem, instead of it being fixed right away and re-tested, we need to wait weeks until the next version of DPS to be released before we can see the results of fixes. We have also discovered some issues that required more extensive programming in DPS then we expected, which has slowed progress considerably.

However, the main reason that the invoicing module will likely not be fully functional by September 10th is that testing and fixing an invoicing rating engine is a time consuming process. Each line item needs to be tested, which we have done multiple times. Then each line item that doesn’t match needs to be investigated to determine where the problem lies. Once the problem is identified, we have to determine how to fix it. Once the fix is implemented, we retest the item code, and we may discover it matched and is ready to go, or the fix did not work and needs to be re-done, or that the fixed worked but we discovered another problem with that item code.

Unfortunately, there is very little we can do to speed up this process. And the problems mentioned earlier (being locked out of the test system for weeks at a time, less frequent DPS releases) exacerbate the time crunch we face. The invoicing test team representatives from JPMO-HHGS have done everything they can to keep us moving, but most of the road blocks we have faced are out of their control.

The question is what should the TSPs expect from invoicing if DPS launches on September 10th. Our understanding is that there will only be one more release of DPS prior to the launch date, and that release is scheduled for August 25th. We have a lot of line item issues that we hope are fixed with that release (we currently have rating issues with roughly 40% of line items). Immediately after that release we will retest all the problem item codes and hope that they match. However, it is highly unlikely that all of the issues will be fixed in that one release of DPS.

If the September 10th launch date is kept, and all shipments between the initial 18 bases are booked in DPS, then TSPs need to be prepared for significant issues when it comes time to invoice those shipments. There will likely be a much higher number of invoices going into Audit Exception status in PowerTrack, which will force TSPs to manually match those invoices and then rebill the difference on a supplemental invoice with miscellaneous item codes. The net effect will be slower payments and additional workload on the TSPs (and PPSOs).

The goal of the DPS invoicing test team has always been to identify and fix all invoicing issues before the first real invoices reach DPS. Despite our best efforts, it is highly unlikely we will reach that goal. How close we get to the goal will determine how many issues TSPs will face with invoicing when DPS launches. My advice is to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Related Posts

1. DPS Invoicing Problems: Who's at Fault? - September 9th, 2008
2. Alaska Invoicing in DPS - March 26th, 2009
3. DPS Invoicing Problem Highlights Importance of Testing - October 22nd, 2010